Job Description:

The Impact Research Associate will contribute to the development of the Wharton Social Impact Initiative’s multidisciplinary research agenda and larger body of work. The Impact Research Associate will have a unique and valuable opportunity to learn about impact investing and social enterprise alongside leading faculty and research professionals while becoming familiar with the technical and administrative aspects of rigorous academic research.

This opportunity is ideal for early career professionals who want to expand their research resume. As such, the position is particularly well suited to those planning to pursue graduate level studies (MA, MBA, MPP, PhD, etc.) or looking to blend practice with thought leadership in their future work.

The Impact Research Associate will contribute to data collection, database management, and other research-related priorities. Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Assisting with outreach to impact investing funds for data collection

• Consulting on survey development and implementation

• Conducting interviews with impact investors and social entrepreneurs

• Analysis of both small and large data sets, including basic descriptive analysis and more sophisticated statistical procedures (cluster analysis, multilevel regression, etc.)

• Conducting literature reviews for research initiatives as necessary

• Monitoring, organizing, and cataloging data

• Supervising research assistants

• Promoting WSII’s data assets to the social enterprise and impact finance research community

• Staying up to date on latest trends and developments in impact investing and related fields

Skills, interests, and experience:

• Education, experience, and/or Interest in research planning, data collection, and database management

• Education, experience, and/or interest in impact investing, purpose-driven business, ESG investing, corporate social responsibility, private equity/venture capital, and racial equity investing

• Experience conducting and writing literature reviews and synthesizing findings across disciplines

• High proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint

• An orientation toward sales and relationship management (polished writing skills, warm and professional phone manner, high attention to detail)

• Discretion and utmost integrity with sensitive information

• Project management experience, team orientation, conscientiousness, and eagerness to learn new topics and skills

• Experience working with survey, financial, and accounting data

• Knowledge of and experience with statistical programming software (e.g., R, SAS, SPSS, Stata, etc.)

APPLY:

We look forward to hearing from interested candidates for this position. To express your interest, please submit a resume and a cover letter describing

(1) your interest in this position,

(2) your relevant research, academic, and professional experience

(3) your professional and/or education goals following the conclusion of this 1-2 year appointment.

Please submit these materials to  XXXXXX@wharton.upenn.edu